Why We Invested in Sention — Seeing Inside the Battery Revolution
“Battery health, purchasing batteries, and testing batteries is a forever conversation; we are dealing with this problem every single day and could use all the help we can get. A non-contact 3D imaging tech sounds too good to be true.” — Electronics Recycling CEO, 2024
The battery industry faces a critical challenge: up to 30% of batteries produced end up as scrap due to manufacturing defects. This waste represents billions in lost value and significant environmental impact. Current quality control methods like X-ray imaging are slow, expensive, and often can’t catch problems until it’s too late.
Sention is revolutionizing battery manufacturing and safety with a breakthrough in non-contact acoustic imaging method. Their technology provides unprecedented visibility into battery internals, combined with machine learning for real-time defect detection and performance prediction. This enables manufacturers to catch problems early, optimize production, and dramatically reduce waste.
The Challenge of Battery Quality Control
The battery industry’s rapid growth has exposed significant challenges in quality control and safety assurance. Current inspection methods are limited to basic measurements like voltage and temperature, or expensive and slow processes like X-ray imaging or CT-Scanning. This leads to:
High scrap rates (5–30%) in battery production
Billions in recall costs from safety issues
Limited ability to predict battery performance and lifespan
Inefficient manufacturing processes, particularly during critical formation stages
Missed recycling and second-life opportunities
Sention’s Breakthrough
Sention has developed a novel approach using non-contact imaging combined with advanced AI analysis. Their technology:
Provides real-time 3D imaging of battery internals without physical contact
Enables 100% quality control inspection during manufacturing
Predicts potential failures before they occur (including on board monitoring of batteries in an EV or consumer electronic BMS and providing user recommendations and warnings)
Optimizes critical manufacturing processes like formation
Supports better assessment of used batteries for second-life applications
Sention is a “hardware enabled software company.” The hardware alone isn’t impossible to replicate. While they do have IP patent + freedom to operate confirmed, it’s their ML software that they use with the hardware (for image ID and categorization), and the predictive capabilities of their recursive neural network analysis built on top of the data they’ve collected that forms the true moat. The technology is particularly powerful during battery formation — a critical stage that accounts for ~30% of manufacturing costs and ~25% of energy use in gigafactories. By optimizing this process alone, Sention can deliver significant cost and efficiency improvements.
Why Now?
Several factors make this the perfect time for Sention’s technology:
Scale & Waste: As battery production scales rapidly for EVs and energy storage, the cost of high scrap rates becomes increasingly unsustainable.
Safety Demands: High-profile battery recalls and safety incidents have increased pressure for better quality control.
Regulatory Changes: Upcoming regulations in 2027 are likely to require enhanced battery quality assurance methods.
Second Life: Growing interest in battery reuse and recycling requires better methods for assessing battery health.
Path to Market
Sention is taking a thoughtful approach to commercialization. Their entry product, the Senturion Planar, provides research labs and manufacturers with powerful diagnostic capabilities at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. This enables rapid customer validation while they develop more integrated solutions for production lines.
Early feedback has been extremely positive, with pilot programs demonstrating clear value in failure prediction, formation optimization, and defect detection. The technology has applications across the entire battery lifecycle, from manufacturing to end-of-life assessment.
Why We’re Excited
Several factors stood out to us about Sention:
Clear Value Proposition: Their technology directly addresses a multi-billion dollar waste problem in a rapidly growing industry.
Strong Initial Traction: Early pilot programs with major manufacturers have validated both the technology and pricing model.
Expanding Opportunity: While starting with battery manufacturing, their technology has potential applications across multiple industries and use cases.
Capital Efficient: Their business model combines hardware sales with software subscriptions, enabling rapid scaling with strong margins.
Most importantly, Sention exemplifies the kind of breakthrough innovation we love to back — taking a novel technical approach to solve a critical challenge in the climate transition. We’re partnering with the Sention team as they work to make battery manufacturing more efficient, sustainable, and safe.
Contact the Sention team to learn more about their battery diagnostic technology.